By James Smithwick<\/p>\n
In the realm of social media, Facebook is the undisputed king. With over 1 billion members and more than 50% of them logging in several times a day, Facebook is only beaten in traffic by the internet monster Google.com.<\/p>\n
In terms of population, if Facebook were a country, it would have the third largest population on the planet. If every member worked for Facebook, they would be five times larger than the top ten worldwide employers combined.<\/p>\n
And yet, Facebook-ers are fleeing the site in record numbers.<\/p>\n
These Facebook fugitives say the site ruins productivity, absconds with private information and sells personal content to the highest bidder. And the worst part is the user lets it all happen.<\/p>\n
According to a 2011 poll, 42% of all Americans opposed the Patriot Act and the government\u2019s desire to delve into the average citizen\u2019s private information, yet nearly all Facebook users post sensitive information and photos without a care.<\/p>\n
Looking for a job? Prospective employers are certainly looking at Facebook profiles. Applicants will never land an important position with a reputable company after posting drunken pictures of themselves passed out at a party with Sharpie marker drawings on their faces, and the caption \u201cSo drunk! Where are my underwear? Lol!\u201d<\/p>\n
Facebook gathers information about its users and markets that demographic information to companies. This is how it continues to be a free service, yet is worth over $1.2 billion. People post information about themselves and like posts based on preference, and that information is used to customize advertising or place paid ads on subscribers feeds under the guise of a \u2018suggested post\u2019.<\/p>\n
And with Facebook\u2019s multi-billion dollar acquisition of photo sharing service Instagram, it won\u2019t be long before they figure out a way to circumvent those pesky privacy rules to use random user\u2019s pictures in beer and automotive ads.<\/p>\n
There is also a safety element to consider. In Nashua, New Hampshire, three Facebook-savvy thieves \u201ccybercased\u201d potential victims by reading their status updates. They learned when victims were at work, when they were at home and when they were out of town. The three men burglarized close to 50 homes in the area and stole between $100,000 to $200,000 dollars\u2019 worth of goods including cash, jewelry, electronics and computers containing sensitive information.<\/p>\n
Status updates tell any concerned parties where users are, how long they will be out and who knows their whereabouts \u2013 important information for murderers and stalkers.<\/p>\n
So if this knowledge is enough to make someone want to be a Facebook fugitive, what should they do next? The creators of quitfacebook.info suggest deleting their account completely.<\/p>\n
But it may not be that simple.<\/p>\n
Facebook reserves the right to keep users\u2019 information for an undetermined amount of time after the account is deleted, for reasons it feels no need to disclose. Ostensibly the information is kept, should the authorities ever need it for legal reasons.<\/p>\n
Quitfacebook.info suggests users download any photos they have uploaded and the delete the account through the normal process. Keep in mind that if a user deletes their profile, and attempts to log in within a 14 day period, the deletion process is voided.<\/p>\n
The youth of the world desire to live in the moment. The painful lesson is that the moment lasts a lifetime.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the realm of social media, Facebook is the undisputed king. With over 1 billion members and more than 50% of them logging in several times a day, Facebook is only beaten in traffic by the internet monster Google.com.<\/p>\n
In terms of population, if Facebook were a country, it would have the third largest population on the planet. If every member worked for Facebook, they would be five times larger than the top ten worldwide employers combined. Continue reading The benefits of being a Facebook Fugitive<\/span>